The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys used a mid-game run to erase a first-half deficit then held on for a 65-56 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday night at Tucker Coliseum.

The Wonder Boys (7-1) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half but outscored the Bulldogs 21-4 from the 3:20 mark of the first half to the 16:44 mark of the second half, taking a 37-31 lead on a free throw by Ike Ohanson.

A jumper by Southwestern Oklahoma State's Scott Bradley less than a minute later was the first basket of the second half for the Bulldogs (2-9), and while it stopped the bleeding, the damage was done.

Southwestern Oklahoma State pulled within three points on three separate occasions but never quite made it all the way back. Each time the Bulldogs made a move, the Wonder Boys countered with a quick spurt of their own to pull away again.

The last such sequence came with 7:22 remaining when Southwestern Oklahoma State's Michael Sampson sank a 3-pointer to cut Tech's lead to 50-47.

The Wonder Boys responded with a 9-3 run over the next five minutes, taking a 59-50 lead - their largest of the game to that point - on a basket by senior forward Rone Smith with 2:30 remaining.

The Bulldogs got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Freshman forward Joel Casseus recorded his first double-double of the season for Tech, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds - both team highs.

Saturday's win was the fifth straight for the Wonder Boys, who are off to their best start since 1988.

It was also the fifth in a seven-game homestand for Tech that continues Tuesday when the Wonder Boys host Incarnate Word University (Texas) at 7 p.m.

Tech opened Saturday's game with a 9-3 lead less than 3 minutes in, but the Bulldogs embarked on a 24-7 run over the next 14 minutes, taking a 27-16 lead on a layup by Gunn with 3:57 remaining.

Tech coach Rick McCormick called a timeout, entreating his players to step up their effort on the court.

His impassioned speech must have worked, because the Wonder Boys closed the half on an 11-4 run, pulling as close as 29-27 on a three-point play by Smith with 1:40 left to play.

A basket by Gunn with 38 seconds on the clock rounded out the first-half scoring and gave the Bulldogs a 31-27 advantage at the break.

But the Wonder Boys opened the second half on a 12-0 run, taking the lead for good after Southwestern Oklahoma State's Reggie Jackson was called for a technical foul, leading to a pair of free throws by Stanek and a 33-31 advantage for Tech with 17:52 remaining in the game.

Golden Suns 65,

Lady Magicians 58

Dardanelle native Katie McCormick scored 19 points, and Melanie Pierce added 17 as the Golden Suns continued their resurgence with a 65-58 victory over LeMoyne-Owen on Saturday in Memphis, Tenn.

McCormick shot 8 of 17 from the field and finished with a game-high 12 rebounds - six on each end. Pierce added 11 rebounds, and the Golden Suns - fresh off a 10-day layoff - survived a flat offensive performance to take the win.

"Without Katie and Melanie, there would've been no way for us to win this game," Golden Suns head coach Todd Schaefer said. "Those two saved us today. They were better than the rest of us."

Tech (7-1) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half but closed with a 20-8 run to take a 37-34 advantage at the break despite shooting a modest 32.4 percent from the field.

Fortunately for Tech, the Golden Suns were 12 of 15 from the free-throw line in the first half and 20 of 25 for the game (80 percent).

The Lady Magicians (1-6) also had their chances at the line, but made just 13 of their 23 attempts (56.5 percent) and were held to 31-percent shooting in the second half after shooting 40.6 percent in the first.

The game was tied 55-55 with four minutes remaining when the Golden Suns reeled off six quick points to take control for good.

Ginger Murphy pulled down eight boards and was one of three players to score six points for Tech, along with Amanda Grappe and Christy Mahan.

Mahan was 2 of 4 from behind the arc and was the lone bright spot in that regard on a day when the Golden Suns went 3 of 17 from 3-point range.

The Tech women are scheduled to face Southwestern Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Weatherford, Okla. The Lady Bulldogs handed the Golden Suns their only loss of the season, 60-53 in the season opener Nov. 15 at Tucker Coliseum.